Practices

Bar Admissions

Joel Haims, co-chair of the firm’s global Securities Litigation, Enforcement, and White-Collar Defense Group, focuses his practice on securities litigation, including class actions, shareholder derivative cases and corporate control litigation, as well as SEC enforcement proceedings and corporate internal investigations. He also has substantial experience litigating complex commercial cases.

Mr. Haims regularly represents public companies, their officers, directors and board committees in cases before trial and appellate courts throughout the country, and in mediation to facilitate settlement. He defends clients across a diverse range of industries, including financial services, real estate, life sciences, technology and consumer products, and has extensive experience advising foreign-based companies, particularly in China, Japan, Israel, Canada, and Bermuda, in connection with securities and compliance issues related to their cross-border and U.S. operations. He also is frequently called upon by boards and senior executives to advise on directors’ and officers’ (D&O) insurance issues.

A frequent author and lecturer on topics involving securities litigation as well as arbitration and mediation, Mr. Haims is recognized as a thought leader in his field.

In addition, Mr. Haims has extensive experience litigating religious rights cases, particularly under the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA). He served as lead trial counsel for the Westchester Day School in its landmark litigation against the Village of Mamaroneck and its Zoning Board of Appeals under RLUIPA, and he successfully defended the USTA in a religious discrimination lawsuit.

Mr. Haims is Chairman and President of MATI USA – The Jerusalem Business Development Center, Inc. MATI USA helps stimulate the economy of Jerusalem by boosting job and new business creation, and eradicating poverty and joblessness through encouraging and facilitating entrepreneurship. MATI bridges economic and social gaps by targeting people from all walks of life in Jerusalem.

Representative Matters

Securities Class Actions/Individual Cases

Co-led the defense on behalf of 300 issuers and over 1,000 individual defendants in the “IPO Allocation” securities class actions – perhaps the largest collection of securities class actions ever brought.

Won dismissal of all claims against Etsy, Inc. and its officers and directors in a shareholder class action in federal court in New York. The Second Circuit affirmed the district court’s dismissal.

Won dismissal of all claims against the former CEO and CFO of Nortel Networks in a shareholder class action in federal court in New York.

Won dismissal of all claims against Cirrus Logic, Inc. and its officers and directors in a shareholder class action in federal court in New York.

Represented public companies and their officers and directors in shareholder class actions in federal and state courts throughout the country, including Blackberry, Argus Group, ATC Healthcare, Pharmos Corp., Qiao Xing, and LJ International.

Won dismissal of all claims against Yahoo! subsidiary Flurry and its CEO in a shareholder case concerning the value of Flurry’s stock (non-public at the time) prior to its acquisition by Yahoo!

Represented ResCap LLC in successfully settling billions of dollars of residential mortgage backed securities claims (and more than two dozen securities cases) as part of ResCap’s bankruptcy proceedings.

Represented Hong Kong affiliate of a Big Four auditor in defense of claims arising out of a bond offering by a Canadian public company.

Won dismissal of all claims against an investment firm and its principals in securities litigation arising from a PIPE transaction involving equity and interest rate swaps.

Represented Chinese individuals in insider trading case brought by the SEC alleging trading in the securities of Nexen Inc. while in possession of nonpublic information about an impending announcement of Nexen’s acquisition by China-based CNOOC Ltd.

Shareholder Derivative Litigation

Represented public companies and their officers and directors in shareholder derivative cases in federal and state courts throughout the country, including Yahoo!, Capital One, Cirrus Logic, Vringo, Eclispys, and LJ International.

M&A Litigation

Represented Education Realty Trust, Inc. and its board in connection with EdR’s $4.6 billion acquisition by an affiliate of Greystar Real Estate Partners.

Represented Yahoo! in connection with its $270 million acquisition of Interclick, Inc.

Represented NTT DATA in connection with its $200 million acquisition of Intelligroup, Inc.

Represented SBI Holdings in litigation to compel Acucela, Inc. to hold a special shareholders meeting to vote to replace board members with SBI nominees.

RLUIPA / Religious Rights Cases

Served as lead trial counsel and secured a landmark victory in the S.D.N.Y. on behalf of pro bono client Westchester Day School against the Village of Mamaroneck and its Zoning Board of Appeals for violation of the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act (RLUIPA) in its denial of the school’s special permit to expand its facilities. Also successfully argued the appeal in the Second Circuit.

Successfully represented Jewish inmate in Virginia state prison in RLUIPA litigation in the Western District of Virginia, for failing provide the prisoner with kosher food.

Filed amicus brief in Supreme Court of the United States in Holt v. Hobbs, in support of an Arkansas inmate who was denied the ability to grow a half-inch beard in accordance with his Muslim faith.

Filed amicus brief in United States Court of Appeals for the Eleventh Circuit in Rich v. Secretary, Florida Department of Corrections in support of successful kosher diet litigation against the Florida prison system.

Successfully defended the United States Tennis Association (USTA) in SDNY litigation relating to the 2014 Eastern Sectional Championships.

Mr. Haims is recognized by Chambers USA for his work in "New York, Litigation: Securities" and by Legal500 US for his work in "Securities Litigation: Defense."

Email Disclaimer

Unsolicited e-mails and information sent to Morrison & Foerster will not be considered confidential, may be disclosed to others pursuant to our Privacy Policy, may not receive a response, and do not create an attorney-client relationship with Morrison & Foerster. If you are not already a client of Morrison & Foerster, do not include any confidential information in this message. Also, please note that our attorneys do not seek to practice law in any jurisdiction in which they are not properly authorized to do so.